Steve Harvey had to apologize after he incorrectly announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez at the winner at the Miss Universe pageant on December 20. The winner was actually Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.

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Superstar weatherman Al Roker apologized after he tweeted a photo of him and his crew covering the floods in South Carolina that many deemed "insensitive."

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Actor-filmmaker Matt Damon apologized over comments made about diversity on the HBO reality show "Project Greenlight," but his apology has also fallen flat with some.

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Comedian and actor Steve Rannazzisi originally claimed that he was in the World Trade Center on September 11 but now says he wasn't. He has apologized.

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Oscar-nominated star Benedict Cumberbatch apologized for referring to black actors as "colored" during his interview with PBS' Tavis Smiley about the lack of diversity in the British film industry. Cumberbatch said he was an "idiot" and "devastated" at his choice of words.

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After calling the gay community misogynistic on an episode of Bret Easton Ellis' podcast, Rose McGowan offered an apology of sorts. "Misogyny endangers me as a human. It also endangers the LGBT community," McGowan tweeted after her comments were criticized. "Could I have articulated my frustration in a better fashion? Undoubtedly. For that I apologize, but I stand by the overall point."

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John Grisham took back statements he made about child pornography and sex offenders. In an interview with the UK's Telegraph, the lawyer and prolific author sparked outrage when he expressed his belief that some people who view child pornography online are receiving punishments that don't match the scale of the crime. He later issued a statement saying, "Anyone who harms a child for profit or pleasure, or who in any way participates in child pornography -- online or otherwise -- should be punished to the fullest extent of the law."

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U2 frontman Bono apologized on behalf of his band after facing a huge backlash for releasing an album for free. It wasn't so much the lack of a price tag that drew ire but the fact that it was automatically downloaded to iTunes users' libraries. "Might have gotten carried away with ourselves," Bono said during an October 2014 Facebook chat. "Artists are prone to that thing."

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Reese Witherspoon had to apologize for her drunken actions when she was caught on camera mouthing off to a police officer after she and her husband were pulled over in 2013. "It's completely unacceptable, and we are so sorry and embarrassed. We know better, and we shouldn't have done that," Witherspoon said on "Good Morning America." She then gave a semi-apology in 2014 with the admission: "It's part of human nature. I made a mistake."

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After Jason Biggs tweeted -- and defended -- a joke about the Malaysia Airlines crash in July 2014, he deleted his tweets and apologized for his remarks, saying, "People were offended, and that was not my intent. Sorry to those of you that were." He continued, "I understand that my comments might have come off as insensitive and ill-timed. For that, I apologize."

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Gary Oldman was so remorseful for his remarks about Jewish people and Hollywood that he apologized twice.

Being trailed by the paparazzi got the better of actor Jonah Hill in early June 2014. The "22 Jump Street" star made a lewd remark and used a homophobic slur while in a confrontation with a paparazzo. He quickly apologized for his words, first on Howard Stern's radio program and then on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon. His in-depth mea culpas were met with equal parts praise and criticism.

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"Seinfeld" star Michael Richards went from beloved comic actor to persona non grata after he erupted during a standup performance in November 2006, screaming racial slurs at an African-American man in the audience. After video of his tirade went viral, Richards appeared on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" to say that he was "very, very sorry."

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All the apologies in the world couldn't repair Kanye West's PR damage after he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Although he apologized more than once -- via Twitter, by phone and on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno as host -- public opinion wasn't swayed.

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During Winona Ryder's 2002 trial for shoplifting from Saks Fifth Avenue, the shopping outlet's security chief testified that Ryder apologized with the claim that she'd committed the crime for a role. "She said, 'I'm sorry for what I did. My director directed me to shoplift for a role I was preparing,' " the security chief said.

Everyone remembers Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004, but we bet you don't recall Timberlake's meek apology following the uproar. "Listen, I know it's been a rough week for everybody," he said. "What occurred was unintentional and completely regrettable, and I apologize if you guys were offended." Timberlake had to give that apology in order to participate in that year's Grammy Awards airing on CBS; Jackson declined to attend the event and apologize.

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After being caught "engaging in a lewd act" with a "known prostitute" in Hollywood in 1995, Hugh Grant famously apologized on Jay Leno's "Tonight Show." The Brit actor -- responding to Leno's memorable question, "What the hell were you thinking?" -- said that it would be "bollocks" to hide behind excuses. "I did a bad thing, and there you have it."

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Julianne Hough is such a fan of "Orange Is the New Black" that she thought it would be fun to dress up as one of her favorite characters, "Crazy Eyes," for Halloween in 2013. Yet Hough went too far when she combined a prison orange jumpsuit with blackface, prompting outrage and a swift apology from the dancer/actress.

Pharrell Williams' Elle UK cover story came under fire in June because the "Happy" singer/songwriter was wearing a traditional Native American headdress. Amid the backlash, Williams tweeted to his #nothappy fans: "I respect and honor every kind of race, background and culture. I am genuinely sorry."

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John Mayer's controversial 2010 interview with Playboy magazine brought so much heat for the singer/songwriter that he ended up crying during his apology. Mayer, who used the "N" word in the interview and claimed that he has a "white supremacist" penis, first gave a Twitter apology and then a tearful, public one during a concert in Nashville.

Christian Bale actually encouraged the media to make fun of him after his expletive-filled rant on the set of "Terminator: Salvation" leaked in 2009. "I deserve it completely," Bale said at the time. "I was out of order beyond belief. I was way out of order. I acted like a punk. I regret that."

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For celebrities who want to apologize for something without ever actually saying what they're apologizing for, Kristen Stewart is the new standard. The actress released a statement in 2012 amid gossip that she cheated on her boyfriend Robert Pattinson with "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders that says everything while saying nothing at all. "I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected," she said. "This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry."

Miley Cyrus isn't one to make a lot of apologies -- if you didn't like her twerking on MTV, that's too bad -- but she isn't immune to saying "I'm sorry." When suggestive photos of a then-15-year-old Cyrus surfaced in 2008 -- including one that showed her wearing just a bedsheet on the cover of Vanity Fair -- she said in a statement that she was "truly sorry" if she "disappointed anyone." Similar grievances were given after she was seen smoking a bong in 2011 and when a racially insensitive photo emerged in 2009.

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Naomi Campbell and Alec Baldwin have at least one thing in common: they know how to give excellent non-apologies. When she got into a tiff with airline British Airways over lost baggage in 2008, the supermodel apologized for assaulting police but refused to apologize to British Airways, which she accused of racism.

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Story highlights

Harvey announced the wrong winner of the Miss Universe pageant

Social media had a field day

(CNN)Your bad, Steve Harvey.

The "Family Feud" host has apologized for announcing the wrong winner Sunday night for the Miss Universe pageant, but social media is getting its life from the incident.

Let's be honest, Harvey's snafu is what the Internet's dreams are made of. Serving as master of ceremonies for the pageant, Harvey initially read the winner as Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, who was quickly crowned.

But then Harvey had to double back and say that Gutierrez was in fact the first runner-up and the actual winner was Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, Miss Philippines.